‘Well I’m down a wife,’ Freddie said. ‘So I think maybe I should take our young friend home.’

My head, which had been getting heavier by the minute, finally became too much for my neck and I dropped it onto the bar in front of me.

Water was brought, and hands tipped my head back and held the glass out to me. For a moment I thought I was back in the dormitories at school, and I started to struggle, but then I remembered I was in Africa, among friends, especially Freddie.

The water tasted strange. There was a cry of alarm, then I was looking at the floor and there was a puddle of red and yellow on it that smelled like the inside of my mouth.

‘Put it on my chit,’ Freddie said, then he was steering me through the bar, while the other men laughed and clapped. I was going to tell him that I was alright, and I wanted to stay and see Sylvie in her ballgown, but I was strangely sleepy, and I must have drifted off while he was loading me into his car, because the next thing I knew I was back at the hotel, sitting in an armchair in the lobby, and Freddie was talking quietly to my mother, who must have waited up for me.

‘It’s my fault, completely,’ he was saying.

‘Thank you for bringing him home,’ my mother said. Her eyes were rimmed with red, as if she had a cold.

‘He’ll be fine – maybe a little delicate tomorrow, but he’s tougher than he looks.’

‘We’ve been beside ourselves all day – he said he was just going out for a walk.’

‘I’m afraid he’s been at the races,’ Freddie said. ‘I almost forgot.’ He rummaged around in his pocket and brought out a handful of notes. ‘He made a bit of money, actually.’

‘Well.’ My mother took the handful. ‘This might soften the blow for his father a little.’

Freddie laughed. ‘I’d better get back.’

‘Thank you again.’ She put out her hand and he shook it. ‘Really.’

When Freddie had left, my mother stuffed the money into my trouser pocket, then leaned over me, her hands resting on my knees. I had a burning sensation in my throat, and tried to keep my mouth closed to stop the smell of sick escaping.

‘Can you walk?’ she asked me.

‘I think so.’

‘Good.’

She walked next to me all the way to our rooms. I noticed that I was taller than her now, when she didn’t have her shoes on.

At the door she turned me to face her. I flinched as she ran the back of her hand along my jaw-line.

‘I suppose you think what you did was daring,’ she said.